The Oak Brook Trout Unlimited Chapter, with members in Chicago's western and south suburbs, kick's off its Fall meeting/speaker schedule September 20 at 7 p.m.

The Oak Brook Trout Unlimited Chapter, with members in Chicago's western and south suburbs, kick's off its Fall meeting/speaker schedule September 20 at 7 p.m. (Posted by Jim Schmiedeskamp, Community Contributor)

Community Contributor Jim Schmiedeskamp

The Oak Brook Trout Unlimited (OBTU) Chapter has announced its 2017 Fall meeting and speaker schedule. Meetings are open to members and the general public and are scheduled at 7 p.m. at the Oak Brook Recreation Center Central Park West Building unless otherwise noted on the organization's website.

September 20, 7 p.m. Speaker: Lisa Walter on "Reconnecting Streams"Lisa Walter of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission will speak on removal of river and stream barriers at the OBTU membership meeting on September 20 at 7 p.m. at the Oak Brook Recreation Center Central Park West building.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than two million barriers block fish from more than 600,000 miles of rivers and streams in the U.S. with over 100,000 dams and impassible culverts fragmenting waterways in the Great Lakes Basin. Rivers and streams OBTU members routinely fish in the Upper Midwest are hardly immune. In the Lake Michigan watershed alone, dams, culverts, and road crossings that impede fish migration have reduced nearly 19,000 miles of available stream habitat to only 3,300 miles.

Reconnecting streams and improving fish passage is a critical part of Trout Unlimited's conservation work, because the organization believes a river united is greater than the sum of its disconnected parts.

October 18, 7 p.m. Speaker: Javier Guevara on "South America Adventures "On the Fly""Javier Guevara will take meeting attendees on a fly fishing tour through Ecuador, Galapagos, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina. Join us for an exciting journey to South America. Javier Guevara is an avid fly fisherman, fly tyer, and fly casting instructor. He is also the owner/guide of Ecuador Fly Fishing Tours, Inc. Javier has helped establish the growth of the fly fishing community and conservation efforts in Ecuador, South America. He is also an active member in numerous clubs and organizations in the Midwest including Trout Unlimited. This meeting is scheduled for the Canterberry Room in the Main Building at the Oak Brook Recreation Center.

November 15, 7 p.m. Speaker: Guide Dave Barron on "Driftless Area Winter Fly Fishing"Dave Barron will speak on Driftless Area Winter Fly Fishing at the OBTU membership meeting on November 15 at 7 p.m. at the Oak Brook Recreation Center Central Park West building.

Dave is an Orvis endorsed guide, Federation of Fly Fishers master certified casting instructor and Trout Unlimited member. Dave is the owner of Jacquish Hollow Angler & Anglers' Inn, in Richland Center-a full-time guide service specializing in fly fishing for spring creek trout on the waters of Southwest Wisconsin, and warm water species on the waters of both Southwest and Northwest Wisconsin.

About Oak Brook Trout UnlimitedOak Brook Trout Unlimited is dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring cold water fisheries and their watersheds in the Midwest. The Oak Brook Chapter is comprised of over 1,200 members from Chicago's western and south suburbs and downstate Illinois and is part of the national Trout Unlimited organization (www.tu.org).

Oak Brook Trout Unlimited fulfills its mission through advocacy and education efforts regarding the impact of pollution and soil erosion on water-based ecosystems, and by engaging volunteers in hands-on projects to improve and rehabilitate cold water river systems. For more information about Oak Brook Trout Unlimited, visit www.obtu.org

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